showcase los angeles issue 196

Jan 2010

Welcome to the debut issue of Showcase Los Angeles, brought to you by Production Paradise. The world's production and entertainment capital provides endless possibilities and we hope you are as excited as we are to explore what is on offer with the very best of LA's visual media industry. As always, more information is available in our dedicated Film and Photo directories.

Hard Drive Production is one of the few production companies in the world that offers still photo production coordination exclusively for automotive advertising photographers.

As an automotive shoot requires highly specialised knowledge and experience, Hard Drive Production provides the full range of services necessary to successfully manage an entire production, including project estimating, budgeting, location research and scouting, casting, crew (including multi-lingual staff) and crew management, location management, equipment rental, and post production services.

Being based in the Los Angeles area has been extremely beneficial for the clients of Hard Drive Production primarily due to the combination of Southern California's consistently optimal weather conditions along with a widely varied selection of location options. Additionally, Hard Drive Production has produced both large scale productions as well as smaller scale CGI projects for photographers from around the world in many regions of North, Central, and South America.

Peggy Sirota combined her talents with moving and still imagery for clients Famous Footwear and Merrill Lynch. She continued her foray into broadcast fashion work with ongoing campaigns for Covergirl.

PRETTYBIRD and Sonny London entered a partnership to represent each others' directors in March of 2009. After joining PRETTYBIRD as part of the Sonny partnership, Guy Manwaring completed the “Tony Stewart School of Endorsement” campaign featuring the illustrious Carrot Top and the inimitable Eric Estrada.

As a digital artist and retoucher, Dennis Dunbar brings a deep seated appreciation for photography, a passion for detail, an illustrator's sensibility, a mastery of technology and a drive to stay on the cutting edge of the world of digital imaging to every project he undertakes.

He backs this approach with nearly 20 years of experience retouching images for the most demanding clients in the commercial and entertainment advertising industries.

As one of L.A.'s top fashion and architectural retouchers, Rondi Ballard's skills have been honed by over 12 years of experience with the best photographers in the industry. Working hand in hand, on shoots and in post production, Rondi has not only developed a critical eye for detail but the sense to know which details should be removed and which should remain.

She is widely recognised for natural glamour retouching and complex photo composites by clients such as Tatler Magazine, InStyle Magazine, Abercrombie and Fitch, DDB Chicago and Sony Pictures.

Visit Rondi's website for a full client list and 'before' and 'after' examples.

Born in Chile and raised in Canada, Muñoz undertook his apprenticeship in New York while being mentored by Bob Richardson.

He received his first assignment as a photographer shooting a fashion story with Gisele Bundchen for British Vogue. His distinctive vision for fashion imagery gained him recognition quickly, attracting a prestigious range of editorial and advertising clients.His creative range has also earned him the opportunity to work with some of the leading actors and actresses in Hollywood.

Nino Muñoz's distinctive charm and modern approach to fashion and beauty photography has been featured in Numero Japan, The last magazine, V Magazine, POP Magazine, The Face, Arena, Arena Homme, Plus, Giant, Harpers Bazaar, Mixte, Jalouse, Blackbook, Wallpaper, French Glamour, InStyle, British Vogue and NY Times Magazine.

He has also been showcased in Photo Icon and American Photo Magazines.
His advertising clients include: Vero Moda, Victoria's Secret, London Fog and True Religion.

Dana Hursey is a Los Angeles-based advertising photographer who has been shooting professionally for over 20 years. His versatility means he is not pigeonholed into any one single category of photography, and he is as comfortable shooting a simple still life as he is working on large location productions.

Named one of L.A.'s "Top Photographers" by Hollywood Weekly, Dana's ability to shoot a wide range of subject matter allows many of his clients a one-stop solution to their photographic needs. He was selected as the environmental portrait photographer for the '14 Days' project, where during the Great Britain segment he shot over 600 portraits in 14 days. A travelling exhibition of his work from the project appeared across the UK as well as in several exhibitions in the US, and he has since been named to the project's board of directors.

Dana frequently teaches at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena CA, when his schedule permits, and travels internationally for both work and pleasure.

Nick Saglimbeni moved to Los Angeles to pursue cinematography at the top-ranked USC School of Cinema. After shooting several commercials, music videos and short films, Nick was recognised by the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) with a Heritage Award. That same year, Nick opened SlickforceStudio.

Clients quickly responded to the cinematic nature of Nick’s photography and Slickforce soon became one of the hottest studios in Los Angeles. True to the studio’s motto, “You. Perfected.™” Nick’s clients enjoy a photographic experience like none other, including state-of-the-art image capture, signature retouching techniques, and a stress-free environment.

Nick continued breaking records when he hit his 100th magazine cover in under five years. In 2009, he won the Blackberry Small Business Award for his work with SlickforceStudio. The National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) has awarded Nick with a staggering three Grand Prize Awards.

Nick currently shoots for a wide array of venues, including album covers, national and international ad campaigns, and many major magazines.

Robert Deutschman, a native of Los Angeles, has been a professional photographer for over 20 years. He has degrees in both Fine Art and Photography.

The emphasis of his work is on capturing real moments, whether in lifestyle or high fashion photography. His use of available light and composition makes his work truly unique and his studio can handle all aspects of production, from concept to post production.

Mike Narciso: Los Angeles food & drink photographers

Mike Narciso:
Los Angeles food & drink photographers

Mike Narciso’s photo-illustrations are a culmination of years of experience and diverse interests. He takes his background in fine art and combines it with his commercial work, juxtaposing objects that contrast with each other but share similar textures and shapes.

A large part of his recent shooting time has been spent creating the vintage still life photographs featured in this Showcase for a selection of local wineries. He has found support from the commercial world and at the same time, he does the work that he loves.

French photographer Bernard Andre graduated with a Masters Degree in Arts from the Sorbonne University in Paris in 1991. He has been shooting assignments worldwide and is now based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Bernard's composition and vision, combined with his lighting and digital photography techniques, render a unique impression of the third dimension lost in this two dimensional medium. His images not only show the scale of architecture, the different textures, the juxtaposition of materials, but they also give the viewer the ability to feel and practically experience the space.

His photographs have appeared in Sunset, Architect and Business Week, advertisements, book covers and annual reports. Bernard has over 400 clients, including Hewlett Packard, Hilton and Sheraton Hotels and he feels fortunate to have been able to turn his passion for photography into a successful business.

Travis Burke Photography: Los Angeles landscape photographers

Travis Burke Photography:
Los Angeles landscape photographers

Travis Burke brings a creative and unique style to his photography, mixing HDR techniques with his diverse artistic background. His latest portfolio named 'Rustic Beauty' is a collection of images he has captured from his trips "in this over-populated yet sometimes desolate world." Travis is attracted to things that have been "used by man and sometimes abused by time; showing objects that now sit still as people, seasons and years pass them by."

Recently Travis has won a multitude of competitions, including national and international first place awards.

Located in the Los Angeles Produce District, Poolside Studio provides a surreal tranquility within the raw grittiness of Downtown's industrial surroundings. The boutique studio is run by working professionals and provides clients with individual attention to assure a smooth production for all.

With 14ft. ceilings and over 900 sq. ft. of exclusive shooting space, the 1650 sq. ft. studio complex offers west facing windows and the sparkle of a heated salt-water pool and Jacuzzi mere steps from the glass door.

Amenities include both daylight and blackout options, a make-up and wardrobe area, full bathroom facilities, an open kitchen and a client lounge with wireless internet. Poolside's in-studio wardrobe package consists of two racks and a steamer. The company also offers full equipment rental through OTMFC, as well as an ample list of qualified assistants and catering upon request.

Poolside Studio is easily accessible from the main freeways and has ample parking with convenient load in.